Franklin County Crisis Center Receives $4 Million in Capital Support
Osteopathic Heritage Foundations Donate $2.5 Million
Jan. 19, 2022
The Franklin County Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Center has received new capital support totaling $4 million, spearheaded by a leadership gift of $2.5 million from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations. In addition, the Robert F. Wolfe and Edgar T. Wolfe Foundation made a $1 million gift and The Columbus Foundation made a $500,000 gift to help build a centralized destination of care for adults with mental health and addiction crisis needs.
Led by the Alcohol Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County (ADAMH), the forthcoming adult-serving county crisis center reflects a community-wide investment to address the growing need for mental health and addiction crisis services. The center will offer a no-wrong-door approach to ensure any adult arriving at the center receives and/or gets connected to ongoing treatment and services.
Franklin County is experiencing high fatal overdose and emergency hospitalization rates and it is estimated that Central Ohio will see a 23 percent increase in demand for mental health and addiction services over the next 10 years.
“The crisis center will benefit everyone in our community, from individuals in crisis and their families to the overcrowded hospitals and first responders currently stretched to their limits,” said ADAMH CEO Erika Clark Jones. “We are grateful that these new philanthropic partners have stepped forward to ensure that that we bring help where it is most needed.”
“The Osteopathic Heritage Foundations understand the vital need for high-quality and trauma-informed behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment services in our community, now more than ever,” said Terri Donlin Huesman, president and CEO for the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations.
“The Foundations’ significant investment in this effort reflects osteopathic medicine’s philosophy of treating the whole person – body, mind and spirit – and the vital importance of the center to vulnerable individuals throughout our community. ADAMH leadership and the community of stakeholders are commended for driving improvements to community-based treatment services and the continuum of care in Franklin County,” Donlin Huesman added.
With the addition of these three new gifts, the $50 million capital project has raised $44.5 million in private and public sector support, including investments from the state government, county and city governments, and the adult hospital systems in Franklin County: Mount Carmel, OhioHealth and Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Groundbreaking for the new crisis center is planned for mid-2022 on a 3.046-acre parcel of land owned by ADAMH, located south of Harmon Avenue, east of South Souder Avenue, and north of Buchanan Drive.
Upon construction completion in 2024, the Franklin County Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Center’s vision is to have the capacity to serve adults and their families at any time with a full array of services to support individuals with both mental health and substance use disorders. Peer support will be integrated into all levels of care and ‘warm handoffs’ to appropriate community-based care will be facilitated before individuals are discharged.
About ADAMH
The Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County, also known as ADAMH, offers life-changing possibilities to individuals and families living with mental health or addiction issues. ADAMH, a levy-funded county agency, partners with more than 30 nonprofit agencies located in neighborhoods throughout the county to provide accessible and affordable behavioral health services. To learn more about ADAMH, visit the website at adamhfranklin.org.
Osteopathic Heritage Foundations
The mission of the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation and the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville (the Foundations) is to improve the health and quality of life in the community through education, research and service consistent with our osteopathic heritage. The Foundations advance this mission through strategic partnerships, multiyear funding commitments, funding collaborations and significant investments in some of the most pressing health and social issues in the community.